Have you ever tried to see how far you can lean the bike and still go straight? What direction are the forks turned? Just curious.

I'd try it for myself, bu I sold my last motorcycle years ago, and I don't even know if my bicycle tires would hold air.

> The other rationale for countersteering has to do with the inequalities
> in the diameter of the tire from center towards rim side. Hence, it's
> like rolling a tapered cork, which travels a curved path.

> For those that are wondering, countersteering is a motorcycle
> phenomina whereby you actually turn the front wheel left to go right.
> It does work, it is real, and so far no one has figured out exactly
> why it works. Theories abound, but it isn't conclusive.

> Myself, I find the wedge or tapered cork argument suspect. Speed
> plays a factor, in that countersteering doesn't work at low speeds,
> though you can still lean the motorcycle. You can see it walking your
> motorcycle. It also doesn't work with bicycles. I've had bicyles up
> to speeds of roughly 50mph, and they still wouldn't countersteer.
>

> The gyro concept I find suspect as well. For this phenomina only
> applies as you are moving the axis. Once that stops, there is no more
> force. Countersteering doesn't exist only in setting up a turn though,
> it continues through the entire turn. You also get that interesting
> tracking phenomina with countersteer, whereby turning the front wheel
> left results in the wheel track going left initially, with the motorcycle
> leaning right, and then the motorcycle and front wheel go right. Which
> means using this technique to dodge abrupt roadway obstructions like
> squirrels often results in you going right over them. Strange stuff.
>

> My own observations are that turning the front wheel towards
> the left pulls the feet out from under the motorcycle as it were.
> Resulting in an instantanious leaning to the right. This then would
> bring the tapered cork into play as a result of the lean, *not* of
> the direction the front tire is facing. With the tires making contact
> on their sides, uneven diameters from the inside to the outside result,
> hence the tapered corks. Which would also explain the problems with
> matching tires front to rear and the really squirrely cornering that
> result if this isn't done right.

> So why are you then still countersteering? I suspect it still
> has to do with kicking the feet out from under the motorcycle. Bringing
> the front wheel into the turn shoves the motorcycles feet back under
> it, lifting the lean upright, straightening out the bike. Turning
> the front wheel further away from the turn results in kicking the
> feet further out from under the bike, leaning it more, making the
> taper more pronounced, tightening the turn. You the rider balance
> all this and try not to fall down.

> The little toy radio controlled bikes do seem to work with gyroscopic
> forces. But their wheel assemblies are far far heavier then a motorcycles
> in relation to the body. This is intentional on the part of the toy
> maker. A lot like the old SST cars I/we played with as kids. Where
> it had a gyro "tire" in the center that you reved up by
> pulling a zip tie through it.

> Kayaks, kayaks, gotta tie this back to kayaks. Um, lessee. Theoretically
> then, if one were to roll with enough enthusiam, they could turn their
> boat as a result.

> Hmm. That might not be as silly as it sounds. You could make
> a gyro unit that worked as an emergency roll-you-back-up-right unit.
> It would be way to heavy and expensive for anything but a Neiman Marcus
> catalog; but yea, it could be done. Two counter rotating gyros to
> cancel each other out, but mounted with a lever or auto switch that
> would move them out of alignment when upside down, with resulting
> forces that would lift the kayak back upright.

> Heck, a deck mounted motorized paddle with a co2 blader would
> work to flip you upright, and cost less, but a gyro would be really
> cool!